Irishrover
It's been a few years since I sat at my fly-tying bench and set a hook into the vice. I had been focused on the ocean with its salmon, halibut and tuna. Those fish require large hook, ones that have eyes big enough for me to see and easily rig up. Now that is in the past and I've returned to the streams and lakes to cast a fly line in the hopes of hooking into a feisty trout.
One of my favorite flies is a size 14 soft hackle. I like a bright green body with sparce hackle feathers. I learn about his little fly while fishing South Junction on the Deschutes one spring. I was having an enjoyable day fishing and trying to avoid the poison oak (always a good thing to avoid) when another fly guy stared up a conversation. He asked me what fly I was using, and I told him I was nymphing a stone fly nymph and had on a prince nymph on for a dropper. He pulled out a couple size 14 soft hackles like I mentioned above and suggested I drift one through the riffles. It worked well. I was sold.
I found they were easy to tie and used to make sure I had them on hand whenever I hit the water with the fly rod. Today I looked at the size 14 hook and shook my head. I had no idea steel hooks could shrink. I was sure they must have gotten mixed up with the size 20 hooks. The old eyes are not what they used to be, but I managed to get the hook into the vice and commenced tying. I ended up getting into a rhythm and tied a few up. Now I'm getting anxious to drift a riffle or too.
One of my favorite flies is a size 14 soft hackle. I like a bright green body with sparce hackle feathers. I learn about his little fly while fishing South Junction on the Deschutes one spring. I was having an enjoyable day fishing and trying to avoid the poison oak (always a good thing to avoid) when another fly guy stared up a conversation. He asked me what fly I was using, and I told him I was nymphing a stone fly nymph and had on a prince nymph on for a dropper. He pulled out a couple size 14 soft hackles like I mentioned above and suggested I drift one through the riffles. It worked well. I was sold.
I found they were easy to tie and used to make sure I had them on hand whenever I hit the water with the fly rod. Today I looked at the size 14 hook and shook my head. I had no idea steel hooks could shrink. I was sure they must have gotten mixed up with the size 20 hooks. The old eyes are not what they used to be, but I managed to get the hook into the vice and commenced tying. I ended up getting into a rhythm and tied a few up. Now I'm getting anxious to drift a riffle or too.
